Bronze for Tools DW Z in the CSI3* Grand Prix of Opglabbeek

International show jumping took place on Belgian soil again last weekend. The Meynaerts family in Opglabbeek's Sentower Park hosted a strong three-star competition, where riders from home and abroad measured their strengths. The Z-horses did not let themselves go and collected great results, culminating in a podium place in the CSI3* Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon.

The 1.55m high basic round of this CSI3* Grand Prix proved to be a particularly challenging task, as only four out of forty-one combinations managed to stay clear. One of those four prospective winners was Belgian rider Thomas de Wit with his 14-year-old gelding Tools DW Z, a son of Toulon and Cicero Z who was born and raised with the de Wit family. In that jump-off De Wit and Tools DW Z managed to put the second fastest time on the scoreboard in 41.76 seconds, but because a fault also rolled out of the scoops along the way, the duo ended up with a ^3rd place.

In addition to his bronze in the CSI3* Grand Prix with Tools DW Z, Thomas de Wit also had a successful weekend in Opglabbeek with the 10-year-old stallion Ecuador Dw Z, a son of El Torreo de Muze and Quasimodo van de Molendreef who was also bred by him. De Wit and Ecuador Dw Z started their competition on Thursday with a ^6th place in the 1.45m Grand Prix Qualifier, while they secured another ^8th place in the 1.50m main class on Saturday.

Another notable combination throughout the weekend was Wits compatriot Christophe Vanderhasselt with the 8-year-old mare Axxess Pur Z, a daughter of Aktion Pur Z and Sam R from the breeding farm of Elke Luyten. Vanderhasselt and Axxess Pur Z were good for ^3rd place in both the 1.45m Grand Prix Qualifier on Thursday and the 1.40m class on Friday, but had their highlight of the weekend during the 1.45m class on Sunday afternoon. In a two-phase special class, they did not make a mistake twice and with a finishing time of 26.00 seconds they were four hundredths of a second ahead of the rest of the field.

Belgian rider Dieter Vermeiren then managed to take two wins in Opglabbeek with his 15-year-old mare Piepke 111 Z, a daughter of Plot Blue and Lord Z bred by the Theeuwes family of Stud 111. After Vermeiren and Piepke 111 Z were already good for ^4th place in the 1.35m class on Thursday during the opening day, they were stronger than the competition in both the 1.35m class on Friday and Saturday.

Vermeiren also managed to jump three times in the prizes with the now 17-year-old grey gelding Kingston Town 111 Z, a son of Kashmir Van Schuttershof and Chellano Z, also bred by the Theeuwes family. The duo started their competition on Thursday with an ^11th place in the 1.40m class on Thursday, and the following days saw a handsome ^3rd place in the 1.40m class on Saturday and an ^8th place in the 1.45m class on Sunday afternoon.

In the 1.50m Grand Prix Qualifier on Friday, Nick Vrins managed to jump to a top 5 ranking with the 9-year-old chestnut mare Fortiche Van 't Zaveleinde Z, a breeding product of Marc Colman who combined the blood of For Pleasure with that of Rubens du Ri d'Asse. Vrins and Fortiche Van 't Zaveleinde Z neatly kept all the rails in the jump-off as well as in the first round, with a ^4th place as final result.

Finally, it was also a successful weekend for French rider Marie Vandervliet with the 10-year-old grey gelding Wouest de Cantrale Z, a son of Winningmood van de Arenberg and Calvin Z bred in France by Philippe Poppe. On Thursday during the opening day, Vandervliet and Wouest de Centrale Z got off to a good start with a ^6th place in the 1.35m class and on Sunday they closed their competition with a ^5th place in the 1.40m class.